Monsoon Season
by WistfulSin
Summary: Hiei/Iruni OC : This is my bday gift to myself, I won't lie. It's monsoon season in Ningenkai and Iruni is trying to brave through her dislike of the lightning flashing in her windows when an unexpected fire demon shows up to take her mind off the storm.


This is my late birthday present to myself because I wanted Hiei fluff lol. Another one shot, because I wanted too. I'm working on Ch.25 too, but…this was more important today lol. I'm so excited, I can't help it. I had the most wonderful day. Woo! It was the bestest bday ever! My friend sent me flowers and a bear, and I got an iTouch and Arby's! Fabulous!

Work sucked. Seriously. But I have an idea for a story now about my last two jobs and the people I met and the things we did. Ah good times in Pizza Hut and Forever21. Anyways, hope you like it. : )

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Thunder cracked overhead, making Iruni stare disdainfully at her ceiling. It barely stifled the telltale howls of the wind and the rain, gusts shaking her home that even she couldn't deflect completely. It drained her to try so she gave fate the benefit of the doubt and tried to prepare for the inevitable.

Monsoon season was upon them.

Her windows were a mass of water, trailing down the glass as they shook. Another crack of thunder had her flinching as streaks of white light colored the sky for nanoseconds before disappearing into the darkened torrent. She still hated it when those bright bolts of electricity shot across the sky, it always made her nervous. Breathing a bit heavier she taped a large X over the last of the windows on the bottom floor. She'd gotten to the second story earlier, when she'd first sensed the storm coming.

The wind kicked up and her lights flickered, making her glad she'd already prepared an emergency supply box. She had flashlights, candles, blankets, spare clothes in a backpack, her ID, some cash and batteries as well as matches. Not to mention about thirty six bottles of water sitting lukewarm on the floor of her pantry.

"I hope Kurama and Suuichi are alright," she mumbled to herself, staring out one of the black windows above the couch, around the white masking tape. Kurama's younger human brother hated storms, and he didn't react well to the thunder. She liked the child. In fact she babysat him as often at the Minamino's needed, and they'd started to bond. He called her Auntie Ichi. Moving into the kitchen she wished Kurama could use his communication device in front of his family. She wanted to check up on him.

Her front door banged open unexpectedly, the sounds of the previously muffled storm filling her quiet home so abruptly it startled her and without a moment's thought she threw one of the knives she'd started carrying up her sleeve at the intruder. It came from a bundle of five thin, well balanced throwing daggers meant to replace her sword when she couldn't carry it. Of course it sat right beside her on the kitchen counter, but this was faster.

Hiei's eyes slid to the small blade where it stuck out of the wall. If he hadn't sidestepped, expecting her reaction, that would've been his Jagan eye. Raising an eyebrow he turned his eyes back to the ruffled wolf demon.

"Expecting company?" he asked and she shook her head. He was soaked through, his clothes leaving puddles under his feet as his hair clung to his cheeks, dripping in the front entryway of her kitchen. The absence of sound bothered him. The girl's house was never quiet, something always made some sort of noise. But now the TV and radio were both off so it was just them and the soundtrack of the storm playing.

Lighting flashed outside the window, followed by a loud crack of thunder and her eyes tightened. He understood suddenly.

"He's dead Shinpi."

She nodded quietly, looking only slightly less tense. Closing his eyes he shrugged out of his cloak, moving to put it in the hall closet.

"If you put that sopping wet _thing_ in my clean closet I will cut it up until I can wear it like a mini skirt Hiei," she warned making him pause with raised eyebrows. Moving in a blur she snatched the black cover from his hands and walked into the downstairs bathroom, tossing it into the dryer. It was stationed between the sink and the wall, with the washer on top of it.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, following her slowly.

"Drying this so that it'll be done before the power goes out," she told him curtly. "I don't want you dripping all over my house. Give me your clothes."

"I can dry them myself," he looked at the shower across from them and then back to her.

"Fine. Take a shower, then dry your clothes," she sighed. "I should change anyways."

Another hearty gust shook the windows, rattling them in the panes. She glanced into the hall worriedly. He watched the worry dance in her eyes but didn't say anything. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small white envelope with her name written sloppily in crayon on it.

"I stopped by Kurama's because he wanted me to give you this," he handed the damp invitation to her. She took it and read it while he stripped off his drenched shirt, his bandanna following as he made a pile on the floor.

"Was Suuichi alright with the thunder?" she asked him quietly, a warm smile on her face as she stared at the party invite. His birthday was coming up next week and he wanted her and Hiei to attend. The fire youkai watched as the wind demon's features softened with her concern as her thumb rolled over the front of the small card.

"Yes. Kurama had him calm enough. He asked if you were alright though," he shrugged, bare-chested and went for his belt. "Didn't you say you were going to change?"

"Oh, right," she ducked from the room, still clutching the card. He shook his wet head after she closed the door behind.

Sometime between turning on the hot water and rinsing the soap off the power died, throwing the house into darkness. The fire demon complained audibly about unreliable human inventions and technologies before emerging from the pitch bathroom into the faintly lit hall. The smell of rain was thicker than usual in the small house, coupled with the torrential downpour outside. He walked into the living through the kitchen, noting that the fridge had been duct taped shut and two dishes sat on the counter alone with a bottle of water.

Miso soup and coconut breaded chicken. He smiled. She'd made him dinner, despite him not warning he'd be showing up tonight. When he touched the bowl of soup it was still warm, allowing him to assume she'd just heated it before the lights went out.

"You know, you're cooking get's better the more often I'm forced to eat it," he quipped as he walked into the living eating the chicken. He'd already finished the soup.

"Hn. I live to serve you, great Master Hiei," she snorted from the couch. He leaned against the empty space leading from the small cooking area into the living space to watch her. Iruni was curled up with the simple green striped blanket covering her legs only, her nose buried in a paperback novel. Candles danced and flickered in the living room and the kitchen.

"That theory has interesting possibilities," he smirked at her wiping his hand on his dry pants. There was no shirt to top his outfit, just pants and his four wide white belt. She glanced at him, then down and his smirk widened. "You agree?"

"How was the chicken?" she asked instead of getting trapped in an answer, her hands closing the book delicately and laying it on her knee. He shrugged off the wall and walked over to take a seat on the couch beside her.

"Digestible." She ground her teeth audibly. "It's the first real food I've had in a month."

"Thank you," Iruni sighed and rolled her eyes, bringing the book back up to read. "What brought you back this time?"

"It was raining," he looked up at the ceiling instead of at her. "Which reminded me that I hadn't been back in a while."

"You've been gone longer before," she hedged, trying to reread the same sentence for the third time. Something about the smell of firewood just ruined her ability to concentrate on meaningless tasks if she hadn't been around it.

"My trips keep getting shorter," he sounded annoyed by that fact and she shifted slightly away from him, which made his eyes dart to her. Swallowing she shrugged, lifting the book closer to her face.

"You don't have to check on me you know. I'm perfectly fine. I've been taking care of myself for a long time Hiei. Don't feel obligated to come back so often if you don't want to," her tone was the careful mask of unconcern he'd learned meant she was trying to cover up how she really felt.

"I know that," he told her haughtily. "It's not about obligation."

"Then what?" she dared to peak at him.

"You know why," he looked away. The wind tore around the house in a high scream, making him want to cover his ears. Iruni shivered, bringing the blanket higher up on her waist.

Smirking he realized two things at once. One the demon beside him was cold, shivering even, and trying very hard to not bring attention to that fact. The second was that she didn't believe he missed her.

What do you know? Two birds could be killed with one fire demon.

Leaning against her side he pressed his lips to her neck, allowing for a hot breath to warm the skin there before he bothered talking, relishing in the way her skin rose in small goosebumps.

"If you believe I didn't count the hours I had to go without smelling the scent of earth and rain you're a fool Amon-Shinpi," he whispered against her neck before pressing another kiss to her skin.

"I-" she was interrupted by the quick beeping of her communicator. She grabbed it with a shaky hand from the end table. Flipping it open she took a deep breath and kept it focused on just her. "Yusuke, what's wrong?"

"I was just making sure your hut was handling the storm alright," the snide voice made her smile. Keiko was hovering behind him like a worried hen.

"Be nice Yusuke," she snapped at him. "Iruni, we were worried about you."

"Worry about your own woman detective," Hiei took the small compact device from the wolf demon while speaking in a bored voice, smirking at the shocked expressions on the two faces shown there. "Not mine."

Then he closed the gadget and tossed it across the small living room onto the cushion of the recliner. Iruni turned, gaping at him, as the storm tore around them.

"Did you just claim possession over me?" she asked, brow furrowed. The smirk never wavered on his face.

"I didn't really think it was necessary before, since no one has been moronic enough to challenge that idea, but sometimes people need things spelled out for them." He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is that a problem?"

"No," she shook her head and watched as another shiver shook her skin.

"You're cold," he took the blanket from her legs and threw it over the back of the couch, "and this isn't helping."

They stared at each other for a long moment before her eyes softened.

"I missed you." She confessed quietly, touching his face as she moved to sit on her knees facing him. Then she turned and leaned over the arm of the couch at her side, opening the drawer and searching. When her hand emerged a small key was held between her pointer and middle fingers, brass in color.

"What's this?" he took it from her as she offered it, realizing it was fashioned into an adjustable necklace with a leather string.

"I had keys made for everyone while you were gone, this one is yours." She blushed a little, trying to sound nonchalant. He blinked at it. "You know, so you don't have to come in through the window anymore when I'm not here if you don't want to. It opens the front and back door."

"Hn." He pulled it over his head so that it fell against his bare chest. It was miniscule, lightweight, but it seemed to radiate contentment. Red eyes caught her, a bit darker. "It's too quiet in here."

"Nothing runs without electricity here," she shrugged.

He had her face in his hand instantly, his lips on hers causing her to sigh. The small reaction had him growling, pulling her against him by the waist. One of her hands fell to the back of his neck, the other finding a place in his hair. Separating a scant inch he breathed deeply.

"I think it's about time you learned to entertain yourself without those mundane contraptions," his voice was a bit rougher. She nodded as her own blue eyes darkened. Then he smirked.

"What?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking, that my opinion of storms has changed dramatically since I met you," she laughed a bit at that. "I think they might have a use now."

"Besides cleansing the earth and providing water?" she blinked, feeling one of his hands slide until it was under her knee while the other held her waist firmly. Then he pressed against her, forcing her to lay down with him on top, propped up on one elbow as rubies danced with mischief.

"Without the distractions of all the whirring, buzzing, talking devices in this bunker you call home I get to focus on the sounds that actually matter to me." His thumb stroked a short line on the top of her thigh. The warmth of his hand made her close her eyes, lips parting.

"What sounds are those?" try as she might she couldn't help but sound a little breathless.

He just stared down at her for a few long seconds, then bowed his head and growled against her lips as the communicator buzzed on the far away recliner. It might as well have been in a different country. Iruni ignored it, instead focused on the soft lips that were a few millimeters too far from her own.

"I think I should demonstrate," Hiei growled before wrapping the fist on his supporting arm in her long dark hair. She made a small noise, her grip on his neck and arm tightening. The weak noise turned into a short growl as he tried to pull away to say something she'd bet was sarcastic, pulling him back to her mouth by his hair.

"I need a better demonstration than that if you want me to understand," she breathed, pulling only slightly away. He smirked down at her. If he'd learned one thing about the demon girl over the last year or so it was that when she wanted something from him, she normally got it. And he was more eager than usual to prove that point as the wind scraped and rattled the windows, helping her to ignore the hot streaks of white that lit up the burdened sky.

The storm died at some point, neither fighter could remember when the gales and flood had stopped, both thoroughly distracted until grey clouds grew lighter with the oncoming hidden rays of sun. The storm on the horizon was projected to hit sometime that afternoon and wasn't supposed to stop until the next day.

Hiei might've started growing fond of storms, but he realized with smirk as the weather report played that he absolutely enjoyed monsoon season in Ningenkai.


End file.
